Inspection device



Feb. 12, 1957 F. D. WOOD INSPECTION DEVICE -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 12, 1953 FOR/F557 0. W000 w? mnmnuu I FQZ BY United States Patent i 2,781,126 INSPECTION DEVICE Forrest D. Wood, Excelsior Springs, Mo., assignor to Remington Arms Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application October 12,1953, Serial No. 385,476

6 Claims. (Cl. 209-72) This invention relates generally to means for detecting defective workpieces in transit through an assembly machine, and for ejecting such defectives without stopping the operation of the machine. More specifically, the invention relates to an attachment for an ammunition making machine, particularly for a machine arranged to pierce the flash hole in the primer pocket of a cartridge case and later to insert and seat a primer there in. U. S. Patent No. 774,827 to Butler shows a machine of this type having a dial feed for the cartridge cases, and there are many functionally similar machines having either dial feed mechanisms or straight line transfer feed mechanisms such as shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,383,339, to Petersen. The present invention is applicable to any of such machines and has the. object of detecting and removing without stopping the machine any cartridge case in which an inverted. or upside-down primer has been inserted or one in which no primer has been inserted.

It has been relatively common in the prior art to provide inspection devices which function to shut down the machine upon discovery of defective operation and the Butler patent noted above provides such an arrangement. This, however, results in a complete cessation of production from that machine which will continue until an operator, who may have several machines to tend, notices the stoppage and corrects the trouble. Where, as in most of the cases, the missing or inverted primer resulted from a single momentary interruption or derangement of the primer feed, it should be apparent that a mechanism which detected and segregated the defectively primed cartridge without shutting down the machine would permit substantially continuous production.

The present invention contemplates accomplishing this objective by providing an attachment for the machine which can be placed on the machine at a location between the primer inserting and primer seating stations thereon. Between these stations the primer normally stands up above the head of the cartridge case for a material distance. If the primer is missing, there will be an empty pocket; if inverted, the open mouth of the primer cup will be upward; in either case an inspection finger can approach the head of the cartridge case more closely than if it engages the closed head of a properly inserted primer. In my invention I provide such an inspection finger which approaches the head of the cartridge case from along the axis of the primer and feels for the presence of a properly inserted primer. Associated with this finger I provide gripping means which will grasp an improperly primed cartridge and remove it as the inspection finger is retracted.

The exact nature of my invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent from consideration of the following specification, referring to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the present invention, showing certain parts of the machine the press gate 14 may comprise a collar '15 secured to moval of the defective case.

detection and gripping of a case having an inverted primer.

The priming machine to which the invention is applied comprises a fixed base plate 10 and a series of cartridge case holding devices 11 which are. intermittently moved with respect to the base 10 and have associatedv therewith support pins 12, each adapted to enter a case C and engage the interior surface of the case head to.

furnish a support for the. case head during the various exterior operations thereon. Fig. 2 shows a primer 1" correctly inserted in the case C a distance somewhat greater than one-half the height of the primer. Fig. 3 shows a case with no primer, and Fig. 4 a case with an inverted primer. 7

The means for inspecting each case in turn for the presence of a correctly positioned primer comprises a shaft 13 supported in and depending from the press gate 14, the mounting being such as to permit upward movement of the shaft with respect to the press gate when downward movement of the shaft or parts secured thereto is obstructed. The press gate carries other tools adapted to perform various operations on the cases, such as the punching of the flash hole F through the web of metal below the case primer pocket, inserting in the primer pocket to the position shown in Fig. 1 a primer presented above the case' at the primer inserting station,

and finally seating the inserted primer to a position sub stantiallyflush withthe exterior of the case head.

I The .meansffor yieldably supporting the shaft 13 in the press gate and apertured to slidably receive the shaft 13, said shaft comprising a spline cut-out 16 adapted to receive a set screw or like element 17 projecting through the collar and into the cut-out. A coil spring 18 encircles shaft 13 and abuts the underside of collar 15 or a boss associated therewith and likewise abuts a bushing 19 secured to the shaft 13. The spring 18 is of such rigidity that in the normal operation of the machine it is not distorted, and, for the purpose of the description to follow, shaft 13 may be considered to reciprocate vertically with the press gate. The lower end of shaft 13 is apertured to loosely receive a feeler pin 20 having a substantially conical point 21 adapted to be received within the conical cavity of an anvil A of an inverted primer, as shown in Fig. 4. It is thus apparent that, as the press gate descends,'the point 21 of the feeler finger engages the outside of a correctly positioned primer (Fig. 1) and stops further downward movement of the feeler 7 pin; whereas, if the primer is inverted (Fig. 4) or no primer is present (Fig. 3) the feeler pin continues to move downward to a position below that at which it is stopped if a correctly oriented primer is present.

Means are provided for utilizing the over-movement of the feeler pin as above described for effecting the re- To this end, a pair of case gripping jaws 22 are pivoted at 23 in a jaw holder member 24 secured to the shaft 13, said jaws being adapted, when permitted to do so, to engage in the extractor groove E of a case and withdraw the case from the holder 11, as shown in Fig. 1, as the gate 14 performs its upward movement. Said jaws 22 are urged to case-engaging position by suitable means such as springs 25, the end portions of which are received respectively in recesses 26 in the Patented Feb. 12, 1957 oriented primer, said jaws are cammed outwardlyto the-V positionshown in Fig. 2, but in the absence of a primer (Fig. 3 the feeler pin continuesto move downward, enter- 7 ing the primer pocket, and jaws 22 snap into the extractor groove E Similarly, if the primer is inverted, the f eeler is enabled tolexecute; such a downward movement that the jaws engage the case asishown in Fig.: 4-. a

A case that has beenengaged by the jaws 22 is lifted in the following upward movement of the press gate to the position'shown-in Fig. I, inwhich, it is clear of theholder 11 and supporting pins 12. Means are provided for dislodging' a case thus held in the jaws and delivering it to a suitable receptacle. This means may comprise an arm 32 pivoted on an arbor 33 held in a bracket 34 supported on a block 35 which is secured to the base 10.

Arm 32 is urged to 'case-e'ngaging position by suitable uneans, such as spring 36. The, upper end of arbor 33 carries an arm 37 having mounted thereon a camfifollower 38 whichis engaged by a cam 39' secured to a post 40 7 supported in a brack'et'41 secured to the press gate 14'.

When the pressg'ate is down, c'am39holds thearm 32 out of the path of movement of shaft 13 and partstcarried,

thereby, and as the pressjgat'e ris'csfto-a position such that the jaws 22 have cleared the path of, movement of arm 32 the receding portionoi cam 39 enables-spring 36 to move arm 32 transversely beneath the jaw assembly, and if a case is held in the jaws, as shown in'iFig". 1, such case dislodged by the engagement therewith, of arm: 32' and.

What is claimed is:

'1. In an assembly machine comprising an indexible work holder and a reciprocating gate, means for detecting the absence of a correctly oriented component of a Workpiece in said holder comprising. a, support carried by said gate, workpiece engaging jaws carried bysaid support,

and a feeder he1d=in said; support for movement relative to said support and said jaws and adapted by such relative movement to control the engagement of a Workpi'eceby vertedcomponent.

said'jaws, said'jaws comprising cam surfaces adapted for engagement by :an element of said feeler'.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1,. inQwhich said jaws are spring urged toward workpiece engaging position, and are displaced to prevent workpiece engagement when said feeler contacts a correctly oriented workpiece component.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which said feeler comprises a'pointedend adapted to enter a hollow in- V z-rp tgaratus according to claim 3, comprising means activated in synchronisrn with; said gate for ejecting a workpiece held; in said jawswithout stopping the machine.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which said work-- 7 piece ejectingv means comprises an arm mounted on a fixed pivot andspring means urging said arm to lateral-1y engage a workpiece held in said jaws.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a cam follower adapted to control said arm and a cam moving with said gate and adapted to engage said camr follower, and displace said armiagainstthe, resistance ofsaid spring means. 7

References Cited the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS Verna'y Sept. 20, 1898 1,348,341 Winkley t, Aug, 3, 1920 2,352,091 Fedorchak et a1. June 20; 1944 2,713,419

Hayes July 19, 195'5 

